16Nov 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Portrait ‘demonstrates esteem’ for Queen, says Liberal Democrat Leader

Portrait ‘demonstrates esteem’ for Queen, says Liberal Democrat Leader

Borough news
The Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has written to the Chief Executive and Leader asking for a portrait of the HM The Queen to be displayed in the Council Chamber. “Council debated this issue earlier this year when we sat in the Queen Elizabeth Hall.  Now Councillors will finally be returning to the Council Chamber for their deliberations in December (delayed from November), it seems the opportune time to display a portrait of Her Majesty the Queen in the Council Chamber and at the Civic Reception, particularly as we celebrate her Platinum Jubilee next year,” said Councillor Sykes. 
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10Nov 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Council must keep its promise to implement national recommendations on abuse

Council must keep its promise to implement national recommendations on abuse

Borough news, CSE, domestic abuse and violence
Oldham Council are being held to account on their promise to implement any relevant findings of the Home-Office sponsored Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) by Liberal Democrat Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani. With the most recent report by the Inquiry covering child protection in religious organisations and settings, Councillor Al-Hamdani has written to the Council’s Managing Director of Children & Young People, and its interim Chief Executive Harry Catherall, to ask for an update on the work that has already taken place, and for what it has planned to do going forward. Councillor Al-Hamdani said: “The previous chief executive had confirmed that the Council would implement any relevant recommendations from the Independent Investigation, and I wanted to ensure that our incoming chief executive was fully aware of the work that…
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05Nov 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

No COP Out: Council must make ‘practical and time-bound commitments’ to tackle climate change

Borough news
As the world’s leading politicians meet in Glasgow for the COP-26 conference to renew their commitments to address climate change, the Oldham Liberal Democrats called on Oldham Council to make some local commitments to reach Net Zero. Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Councillor Chris Gloster, who is the party’s Shadow Cabinet Member for Finance and Low Carbon, proposed an amendment to a motion at Wednesday’s meeting of the Full Council (3 November) listing a series of measures that Oldham should commit to as an authority ‘ambitious to become a carbon neutral council by 2025 and a carbon neutral borough by 2030’. Commenting Councillor Gloster said: “The Liberal Democrats first called on the Council to declare a climate emergency in July 2019 and the Council subsequently adopted a new green plan for…
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06Oct 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Sykes secures U-turn on free bags for Oldham’s valiant litter-pickers

Sykes secures U-turn on free bags for Oldham’s valiant litter-pickers

Borough news
After an exchange of emails, Liberal Democrat Leader Councillor Howard Sykes MBE has secured a U-turn in Council policy over the provision of free bin bags from the Council to the borough’s volunteer litter-pickers. Councillor Sykes said: “I am delighted that common sense has finally prevailed. It was crazy for a Council not to provide free bin bags to members of the public who in their own time are ‘doing their bit’ to help keep our borough clean.” Councillor Sykes made his request for free bags on behalf of one of his constituents and her friend: “My constituent has been going out with her friend to collect rubbish, but after running out of bin bags was told they had to pay for their own as the Council was ‘unable to…
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29Sep 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Sykes seeks special Council to discuss action on child sex exploitation report

Borough news, CSE, domestic abuse and violence
The Leader of the Oldham Liberal Democrats has written to the Leader of the Council to seek her assurance that a special council meeting will be held in the autumn to discuss the much-awaited report on historic child sexual exploitation in Oldham. In his letter to the Leader, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE asks for sufficient time to be made available to discuss the report at the scheduled November or December meeting of the Full Council, or, as he would prefer, that ‘a special one agenda item meeting of the Full Council [be convened] as soon as is practicable after publication to enable discussion to take place.’ The Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham has stated that his intention is to publish the CSE report ‘by November or, at the very…
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10Sep 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Seeing double: Sykes shares concerns that Spindles plan duplicates existing provision

Seeing double: Sykes shares concerns that Spindles plan duplicates existing provision

Borough news
The Leader of the Oldham Liberal Democrats has written to a senior Council officer with his concerns that elements of the current plan to refurbish Spindles mean spending again on something Oldham already has. In his letter to the Director of Economy Emma Barton, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE points out that Oldham already has a dedicated space for new creative industries and an unused food court in Create Oldham and the Egyptian Room respectively, and he is concerned that the Labour Council will be spending more public money on duplicating the same in Spindles rather than using what Oldham already has better. Councillor Sykes said: “This is like seeing double. Oldham’s Labour Council spent at least £1.5 million to refurbish an old night club on Yorkshire Street into Hack Oldham…
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03Sep 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Bus Lane fine chaos

Bus Lane fine chaos

Borough news
Roadworks in Lees have led to a deluge of incorrectly issued bus lane fines says newly elected Liberal Democrat Councillor for Saddleworth West and Lees, Mark Kenyon. He has contacted the Council demanding that the fines are automatically cancelled. “We’re all sadly used to the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing. But when one of those hands is slapping £60 fines on people, patience quickly wears thin and something needs to be done. “To add further irritation, people, already busy enough as it is, are being forced to take the time to appeal a decision that wasn’t their fault. To say it sticks in a lot of peoples’ throats is a bit of an understatement.” Mark Kenyon believes that all the fines from a certain date…
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03Sep 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Health and wellbeing must be front and centre in local plan development

Borough news
The Council’s vision for Oldham must include health and well-being as key to the development of the Borough and its regeneration, says local Liberal Democrat Councillor Louie Hamblett. While the Council’s new local plan consultation includes them as objectives, they are nowhere to be seen in the vision statement, and that is a massive loss, says the shadow cabinet member for Health and Social Care. He said: “We want to have a thriving borough, where everyone is able to live their lives to the full. We can only achieve that through improvements to the local economy, so I entirely understand why that is there, but we are doing it so that people can live happy, healthy lives. “If we do not include that in our vision of what our town…
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06Aug 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
“No Cannes do”

“No Cannes do”

Borough news
Council agrees not to attend French conference after appeal from Liberal Democrat leader An appeal from the Leader of Oldham Council’s Liberal Democrat Group has finally led the Labour Administration to call time on spending over £10,000 on sending delegates to an annual international property conference in Southern France. In mid-July, Liberal Democrat Group Leader, Councillor Howard Sykes, MBE, wrote to the new Council Leader and Chief Executive asking them to cease the needless spending which could be better spent on providing front-line services. In 2018 and 2019, Oldham Council was represented at the three-day Marché International des Professionnels d'Immobilier (MIPIM) property conferences held in the French Riviera resort of Cannes at a time when Council services have been cut to the bone. In 2018 at least £9,892 was spent…
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28Jul 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Shaw Selective Licensing ‘slow going and lacks sense’, says Sykes

Shaw Selective Licensing ‘slow going and lacks sense’, says Sykes

Borough news
Five months on from responding to Oldham Council’s consultation on a new Selective Licensing scheme for borough, Shaw Liberal Democrat Councillor Howard Sykes MBE is frustrated both by the pace of change, with seemingly little action being taken to implement new standards to police the conduct of both private-sector landlords and tenants, and by the lack of sense in the proposals, with certain streets in need of regulation still being excluded. Councillor Sykes first wrote to the Head of Public Protection, Neil Crabtree, who leads the Council’s project team, on 10 February seeking an update on progress and clarification on whether his ideas for improvements to the scheme in Shaw will be taken up. A response despite reminders is still not forthcoming. Commenting on the proposals, Councillor Sykes said: “I…
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